THE Durban & Coast Horticultural Society donated R15 000 to the North Durban Honorary Officers to help with driving education programmes at the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve.

Home to a variety of species of crabs, mudskippers and other wildlife, the 76-hectare reserve has the largest population of mangrove trees in the Durban area.

The reserve and its waterways also act as a nursery for several species of fish.

Once a month the Honorary Officers, all of whom are volunteers, host an Open Morning for the public to drive awareness.

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The Honorary Officers take school groups through the reserve on a weekly basis for ecosystem walks from various primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, from eThekweni and beyond, including regular overseas school tour groups.

It was on one of the open mornings that Sandy Grant, a member of the society decided to choose the reserve as one of the projects to donate to.

“I came for a little guided walk through the reserve and I was blown away because I hadn’t been here for such a long time. The officers spoke about how the reserve plays a vital role in the ecosystem. That is why I decided to put the reserve forward as one of the beneficiaries as the society funds a few projects every year. The committee agreed and we donated R15 000.

“We felt it was important because the reserve is right here on our doorstep and it belongs to us as Durbanites. It is our duty to care for it and our hope is the donation will be put towards educational programmes within the reserve. We want young people from across eThekwini to not only enjoy the space, but also learn about the importance of biodiversity and the mangroves forest,” she said.

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Honorary officer Robbie Ramkumar said they were blown away by the gesture.

“When the Durban & Coast Horticultural Society said they would be donating a cheque of R15 000 we were thrilled. We decided to host an appreciation get-together at the reserve on an Open Morning which seemed fitting. Educating and creating awareness about the reserve for the community is something we are all passionate about,” he said.

“Last year we also had two trailers stolen from the reserve, one was used to move our indigenous plants grown at our nursery, while the other was used for education. We would have teardrop banners, pamphlets and other items we used to drive awareness. We are fully behind the donation going towards education and have earmarked a few projects to put the money towards,” he said.

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